Chapter 709: Fallen Ambitions

Lu Ye had originally expected the Sky Rift Sect to make further moves after Wu Xie retreated. However, to his surprise, the past few days had been calm and peaceful, with not a single Sky Rift Sect cultivator in sight.

Until now. The situation changed dramatically. Even within Medicine Valley, Lu Ye could feel the oppressive sensation of heaven and earth tilting. Standing in mid-air, he looked up, his brows furrowed.

He didn't know what exactly was happening over at the Sky Rift, but by merely observing this anomaly, he knew something extraordinary must have occurred there. It seemed his previous thoughts were correct; the timing of his entry into the Dragon Ascendant Realm coincided with the unfolding of major events that would surely affect the entire realm. Just like last time in the Myriad Beasts Domain secret realm, where the beast tide had placed the domain in grave danger.

As he was observing, a point of golden light suddenly appeared in his vision and shot towards him with lightning speed, too fast to react. He didn't even have time to react before the golden light struck him squarely. His body jolted violently, but he wasn't injured. After striking him, the golden light merged into his body.

In a subtle, unseen way, something seemed to descend upon him. This feeling... Lu Ye's expression became one of shock and uncertainty. This was exactly how it felt when he received the favor of Providence in the Spirit Creek Battlefield and Cloud River Battlefield. Those favored by Providence are blessed with good fortune. That's why, often when he was training in the Spirit Creek Battlefield and Cloud River Battlefield, he would encounter opportunities that were rare for others. This was the mystery of good fortune. Although there were times when his luck wasn't great, he always managed to turn danger into safety.

He hadn't expected that in this secret realm, he would also receive the favor of Providence. A secret realm like this was essentially a self-contained realm, and this particular Providence was not the same as that of Kyushu. The favor of Providence he now received should be limited only to this realm and entirely unrelated to Kyushu.

What happened? Lu Ye was completely baffled. But combining this with the anomaly he saw at the Sky Rift, he vaguely perceived that, without his knowledge, the Dragon Ascendant Realm was about to undergo a major transformation. He quickly sped up his actions. Regardless of future changes, his arrangements from the past few days might prove useful. He secretly congratulated himself for not leaving Medicine Valley too early; otherwise, he might now be caught in some trouble.

In front of the thatched hut in the middle of Medicine Valley, the Little Medicine Immortal, bearing Hua Ci's face, was also gazing towards the far north. She sighed softly, "What was meant to come, has finally arrived."

Aboard a spirit boat, Huang Liang's expression was sorrowful, and he frequently coughed up blood. Behind him, numerous streaks of light pursued, all of them elder-level powerhouses from the Sky Rift Sect.

In the previous battle, Master Fahua and Liu Tianyi both perished. Though he had been prepared to die, at the last moment, those two seniors, using their dying breaths, opened an escape path for him. There were no verbal instructions, but Huang Liang understood their painstaking efforts. He was not the bearer of this realm's destiny, so there was no need for him to die there. Moreover, at this critical juncture, the Dragon Ascendant cultivation world truly needed a powerful individual who knew the Sky Rift Sect's secrets to lead the cultivators in vanquishing evil. Therefore, his value in surviving was far greater than dying in battle.

Suppressing the grief in his heart, Huang Liang fled all the way. However, being severely wounded and constantly pursued and intercepted by numerous Sky Rift Sect powerhouses, he felt he could no longer hold on.

From afar, a lush, verdant valley suddenly appeared in his sight. This was... Huang Liang pondered for a moment and then understood where this was. Throughout the entire Snow State, only the renowned Medicine Valley possessed such beautiful scenery.

Oh no! He had been pursued and intercepted all the way, and his escape had been entirely improvised without a precise direction. He hadn't intended to flee towards Medicine Valley. If there were no pursuers behind him, he could naturally go to Medicine Valley for medical treatment; with the Little Medicine Immortal's abilities, healing his injuries would be effortless. But at this moment, with many pursuers behind him, if he were to lead them to Medicine Valley, he feared it would bring disaster to the Little Medicine Immortal.

He absolutely could not stay here. This thought flashed through his mind, yet before he could change direction, a furious shout came from behind him: "Die, old dog!" An irresistible force struck him from behind. Huang Liang felt as if he had been struck by a mountain and was sent uncontrollably flying forward, directly plunging into Medicine Valley. Still in mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He landed heavily and hastily got up. Before him appeared a calm-faced young man, two young women, and a pale-faced man sitting in a chair. Several pairs of eyes looked at him. Huang Liang urgently cried out, "Run! The Sky Rift Sect murderers are here!"

"Senior Huang Liang?" From his chair, Zhuang Bufan, who had been basking in the sun, stared in astonishment at the fallen Huang Liang, never imagining that the dignified Sect Master of the Imperial Heaven Sect would one day appear so disheveled. The Sect Master of the Imperial Heaven Sect was actually being pursued! What had happened? And from Huang Liang's shout just now, it was clear that the ones pursuing him were from the Sky Rift Sect.

"Senior, did you receive a message and come to investigate?" Zhuang Bufan asked. He had previously entrusted several friends to send messages to the three dominant sects, informing them of what had happened in Snow State. How the three dominant sects would handle this matter, he didn't know. Seeing Huang Liang now, he naturally made some associations. He didn't know, however, that Huang Liang's presence here had nothing to do with the message he sent, and that what was happening in Snow State was far more serious than he imagined.

At this moment, Huang Liang had no time to explain anything. Clutching his chest, his body staggered as he whispered urgently, "Hurry and leave, it'll be too late if you don't!"

"Trying to leave?" Towards the valley entrance, figures stood in mid-air. A burly man with broad shoulders and a powerful build, holding a spiritual artifact resembling a mace, sneered continuously, "No one is leaving."

Zhuang Bufan's face went blank. "Yun Haitain!" This was the Sky Rift Sect's Sixth Elder! How could he be here? Only then did he belatedly realize that all the people pursuing Huang Liang were at the Ninth-Level realm, and Wu Xie, who had previously suffered a loss at Lu Ye's hands, was conspicuously among them. Had Huang Liang stirred up the Sky Rift Sect's hornet's nest? How did he attract so many Ninth-Level cultivators? Every single person here had once been renowned, and now over a dozen of them had appeared at once, accompanied by a large number of Sky Rift Sect cultivators. Even if Huang Liang wasn't severely wounded and was at his peak, he wouldn't be able to contend with them.

"Wu Xie, I heard you suffered a loss here in Medicine Valley before? And it was at the hands of a mere youth? Who did it?" Someone spoke with a smile, an expression of mockery on their face. His gaze swept over Lu Ye and the others without much concern. Though he disliked Wu Xie, Wu Xie's strength was undeniable. Lu Ye and his companions clearly didn't possess such capabilities.

But Wu Xie's expression was somewhat off; he stared intently at Lu Ye, his eyes filled with hatred.

"It was this kid?" The person who spoke earlier was astonished. "No way, no way! You were injured by this kid? You're our Ninth Elder, how could you be so useless?"

Wu Xie snorted coldly, offering no explanation. That day, he retreated partly because Lu Ye's displayed strength made him wary, and partly because he had been poisoned. At the time, he didn't know what kind of poison it was, so how could he linger? Later, it was confirmed that the poison wasn't potent, but by then the opportunity for revenge was gone. Under the Saintly Edict, he and others had to lie in wait in the Blood River to ambush Fahua and Liu Tianyi. He hadn't expected that after all the twists and turns, he would return here again. The humiliation of that day, he would personally repay. Today, he would kill that kid no matter what.

"Nobody interfere!" As Wu Xie spoke, he took a step forward, clearly intending to fight Lu Ye one-on-one.

"Alright, let's not drag this out," the burly Sixth Elder Yun Haitain said. "Delaying the Grand Master's important matters is something no one can afford. Several of you, go." In the shocking battle under the Sky Rift, although Fahua and Liu Tianyi both died, they also killed several Sky Rift Sect elders and injured many others. These pursuers were fortunate not to have been injured, and now they were pursuing together. With the strength of Fahua and Liu Tianyi, combined with Huang Liang's presence, for them to perform as they did, even against the Sky Rift Sect's ambush, showed how terrifying Fahua and Liu Tianyi's strength was. The two who bore the destiny of heaven and earth were, to some extent, already nearly comparable to the True Lake Realm. When Yun Haitain said this, though Wu Xie was unwilling, he could only obey.

Immediately, several people leaped out, and with flickering movements, pounced towards Lu Ye and the others.

"Damn it!" Huang Liang gritted his teeth, never expecting that even in his dying moments, he would drag Medicine Valley into this. At this point, it was clearly too late for them to escape, and in his current state, he absolutely could not resist the Sky Rift Sect elders' attack. His only hope was that the Sky Rift Sect wouldn't massacre everyone; at the very least, he hoped the Little Medicine Immortal's life could be spared. But before that, even if he died, he would take one down with him.

As he was thinking this, the seemingly inconspicuous young man who had been standing beside him suddenly took a step forward. With this single step, the world shifted. Everyone's vision became strange. Although Lu Ye and the others weren't too far from them, the Sky Rift Sect elders who were pouncing towards them had the illusion that the space between them was being stretched infinitely. No matter how they flew, they simply couldn't get closer to Lu Ye and the others.

Lu Ye took another step, and the surrounding scenery changed again. Mist rolled out, and illusions emerged one after another. In an instant, the few individuals who had rushed into the valley were separated and became disoriented.

"Huh?" Huang Liang was greatly startled and suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Ye. What kind of divine technique was this? Given his status as the Sect Master of the Imperial Heaven Sect, he had never heard of or seen anything like it.

"A formation!" At the valley entrance, Yun Haitain's expression also changed. Although he was burly, he was actually a meticulous and shrewd individual; otherwise, he wouldn't have ranked sixth among the elders. The sudden change in Medicine Valley made him realize the source of it: someone had set up an extremely sophisticated grand formation here. Before them, the thatched huts in the valley were gone, and the figures of those people had vanished. Even the Sky Rift Sect elders who had rushed in were like clay oxen entering the sea, disappearing without a trace. All they could see was a rolling sea of clouds.